Annual Report

Dear Parents and Community Members:

We are pleased to present you with the Annual Education Report (AER) which provides key information on the 2016-17 educational progress for the Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District’s Learning Center. The AER addresses the complex reporting information required by Federal and State laws. The school’s report contains information about student assessment, accountability, and teacher quality. If you have any questions about the AER, please contact Lacy Lauzon (Learning Center Program Supervisor/ Principal) for assistance.

The AER is available for you to review electronically by visiting the following website www.dsisd.net, and then clicking on the Learning Center tab near the top of the webpage, and selecting Annual Education Report from the dropdown menu, or you may review a copy from the main office at the Learning Center.

The state has identified some schools with the status of Reward, Focus, or Priority. A Reward school is one that is outperforming other schools in achievement, growth, or is performing better than other schools with a similar student population. A Focus school is one that has a large achievement gap in 30 percent of its student achievement scores. A Priority school is one whose achievement and growth is in the lowest 5 percent of all schools in the state.

Our school has not been identified with one of these labels as we are a center-based school for students with disabilities.

Based on achievement data provided from Learning Center teachers, over 80 percent of our students made progress in reading and math. We want to continue to grow in each of these areas and increase our focus on functional academic skills. Writing tends to be a struggle for our students, but our access to assistive technology has increased and can offer alternatives to handwriting along with writing prompts. Additionally, the Annual Education Report from the Michigan Department of Education indicates that our attendance rate was 87.95 percent as compared to the state, which was 94.32 percent. Given the medical/physical needs of many of our students, over 80 percent attendance is fair, but leaves room for improvement. We are working hard to establish a consistent cleaning and sanitizing (including hands) protocol to help reduce absences and model healthy habits in our school environment that can also be practiced at home. We also work together with families to establish individual student goals that support increased engagement at school to encourage the attendance of students who struggle with their school routine.

The Learning Center believes that parent involvement is an essential part to student success. We appreciate the feedback provided from the 23 parent surveys that were returned with both positive comments and suggestions for improvement. As a result, we have added a school-wide Parent Support Group combined with a Literacy Night for children this year. We will also continue to work toward increased parent involvement by engaging in the following activities on an annual basis:

Regular Home-School Communication

Parent/Student Handbook

Parent Support Activities

Parent Volunteer Activities

Involvement in decision-making about your student’s educational needs

Participation in school functions or events

Annual Open House and/or Winter Carnival

Annual Parent Survey

Enrollment Process

The Learning Center works with the nine local districts within Delta and Schoolcraft Counties to provide a center-based program and services to students, as determined through the IEP process. The Learning Center does not enroll students independent of local involvement. If an individual’s family is interested in our programs at the Learning Center, their first contact should be with the local education agency.

Status of School Improvement Plan

a. Goal 1 – Learning Center students will increase reading skills: Teachers will participate in professional learning which supports the Unique Learning Systems (ULS) Curriculum and monitors student progress. Teachers will view updated webinars located on the ULS website. Release time will be provided for teachers to participate in curriculum in-service training. Classroom teaching staff will provide instructional training to assigned classroom aides.

b. Goal 2 – Students within the Learning Center program will improve functional math skills: Teachers will use monthly checkpoint to monitor student progress. Lessons will be adapted to meet individual student needs based on checkpoint results.

c. Goal 3 – Students within the MoCI (Moderate Cognitive Impairment) core program will independently use classroom technology tools for a designed learning process: Students will interact and use technology skills within the ULS curriculum monthly. Progress will be monitored monthly by individual MoCI classroom teachers.

d. Goal 4 – The Learning Center staff will share our mission and strong public image with the local districts we serve: The Learning Center will host a Fall Open House and share the purpose/mission of the Learning Center program. Staff will work with local districts to enhance Learning Center purpose and public image.

Students, families, educators, and communities are partners in enhancing learning and academic achievement.

An integral part of our educational practice is supporting positive interactions that promote academic, social, and emotional learning.

Adhering to the philosophy that every child is a lifelong learner who can achieve high standards.

Learning Center Philosophy Statement

It is the philosophy of the DSISD Learning Center that students have the right to, and can benefit from a free public education. These students deserve to be treated, taught, and cared for with the same positive techniques, respect, dedication, creativity, and kindness that we would expect for ourselves. We believe that these students share the same rights as others for the opportunity to develop, to succeed and fail, to take risks, to have social interaction, to develop meaningful relationships, and to make choices.

Districts We Serve

Bark River-Harris

Big Bay de Noc

Escanaba

Gladstone

Manistique

Mid-Peninsula

Nah Tah Wahsh PSA

Rapid River

School Description

The Learning Center, which is part of the DSISD and housed in Escanaba, consists of seven classrooms. The school building is rented from St. Anne’s Church, which is attached. The Learning Center is staffed by seven teacher and twenty aides. Transportation is contracted with McKnight Transportation and the fleet includes four buses run by four drivers and four bus aides.

The Learning Center program is designed to meet the educational needs of students 2.6 to 26 years of age, from Delta and Schoolcraft counties, who meet eligibility requirements and, need a placement other than that which is available in the traditional school setting. Eligibility may be determined in the following areas under Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE):

Speech and Language Impaired (SLI)

Early Childhood Developmental Delay (ECDD)

Cognitive Impairment (CI)

Severely Multiply Impaired (SXI)

Physical Impairment (PI)

Other Health Impairment (OHI)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Students with other disabilities or functional levels of impairment may be placed in this program if it is determined that their individual needs can best be met within the Learning Center’s program structure and through interaction with peers whose functional levels are similar. This will be determined by the Individual Education Program Team (IEPT).

Program Services

Music Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Physical Therapy

School Social Work

Speech and Language Therapy

Arts & Crafts

Integrated Opportunities in Local Districts

Swimming at the YMCA

Educators at the Learning Center work with local districts and families to provide center-based programs and ancillary services to students as determined through the IEP and referral process. Ancillary services provided by the DSISD may include: Occupational and Physical Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Vision and Hearing Services, School Social Work, and Psychology. The Learning Center does not enroll students independent of local involvement.

Core Curriculum

The Learning Center’s curriculum is based on the Common Core Standards, but also includes the Unique Learning Systems (ULS) to best meet each student’s unique educational needs. The curriculum is able match instruction to student need based on age, grade level and performance. This center uses Functional Independence, Participation, and Supported Independence Curricula that have a primary focus on promoting independence for students. Areas of focus include:

Leisure and Productivity

Social Interactions

Communication

Personal Care, Health, and Safety

Mobility

Domestic Activities

Personal Work

Community

Group Situations

Unexpected Events/Potentially Harmful Situations

Time Management

Self-Determination

Functional Academics

The foundational goals for all students are socialization and independence. For our preschool students, the goal is to transition the majority of students to their local district’s Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) to attend Kindergarten, while the adult transition program has a goal of preparing students for independent or supported living and employment.

In 2016-2017, 15 preschool students were transitioned to their local school districts for Kindergarten; 9 additional primary/elementary students were also transitioned to their home elementary schools; and we celebrated with 5 graduates from our adult transition program.

We are proud of the achievements of our Learning Center students and the compassion and dedication of our staff. The Learning Center team works cooperatively to increase opportunities for our students, families, and the greater community and helps to create a support network to address the individual needs of our students. We strive for continuous improvement to better serve the wide range of student needs in our program and are grateful for the support of our school community in maintaining a nurturing school environment.